Eurogamer Expo 2013: Ten Ton Hammer Awards

Eurogamer
2013 was a bustling show that had dozens
upon dozens of games on show. Some were popular, some less so but when
it comes
down to it, there are always some games which stand out for one reason
or
another. After a good night’s rest and plenty of thought,
below is a list of
the best and worst that the show had to offer as well as some curve
balls we
really weren't expecting to be anything special.

Best
of Show – Titanfall

Without
question one of the finest games I've
played in years and the king of the show floor. Polished with slick
presentation and incredible gameplay, Titanfall stood out from the
moment you
sat through the tutorial video. The drama of ejecting from a mech
cockpit as
you're fired 500 meters into the air only to traverse. With Battlefield
4
showing next to it, the two products couldn't be further apart in terms
of
modernisation. May cannot come soon enough.

Best
Use of Piano – Doom

Quite
possibly the most hilarious, surreal moment
of the entire show is seeing someone play Doom on a piano. With piano
keys
determining movement (strafing, turning, using and switching weapons)
it was a
comical endeavour that served to entertain the crowds. The tunes
created while
playing might not have been pleasant on the ears, but it drew huge
numbers and
left everyone smiling. What we're now waiting for is for someone to
write a
score that accurately moves you around the level, from start to finish,
while
killing all enemies. That would be something special.

Most
Charming – Tearaway

Papercraft
taken to a whole new level, the premise
of the game – please bear with me – is that the
protagonist is to deliver a
message. Although the demo didn't go into too much detail, your mission
is to
aid him in this in a beautifully crafted world. From the droplets of
rain to
the music, all of it was wonderfully presented. The hand crafted
aesthetic is
instantly appealing and charming.

Most
Impressive Queue – Pokémon X and Y

With
one of Nintendo's biggest franchise (if not
the biggest) I'm still in disbelief at the fact they only had 3 DS that
you
could play it on. With queues in excess of 2 hours (unsurprisingly) it
really
deserved better from Nintendo. Thankfully for them, the game looks and
plays
brilliantly and was well worth the queuing time.

Most
Unexpected – Framed

This
is a game that is hard to explain. Played on
IOS or Android, you aid an individual escaping a scenario. To help him,
you
rearrange a series of panels of a comic strip to ensure he escapes each
“page”
successfully. For example, one puzzle sees you running down corridors
to which
you rearrange the exit doors that the protagonist uses to escape. Some
panels
feature police officers who are intent on stopping you, but if arranged
incorrectly will ensure your demise. With great animation and visuals,
it
deserves a look.

Most
Wanted T-Shirt Award

Titanfall
seems to be getting plenty of mentions here today and rightfully so. I
lost
count at the amount of people asking for T-Shirts only for the staff
managing
the lines unfortunately having none to give. We can forgive Respawn
Entertainment for that. Considering the queue size minus the cotton
wear, we'll
settle for no T-Shirt if it means a fantastic product.

Most
Forgettable – Watchdogs

Lauded
as the game of the show in the official
Eurogamer 2013 programme, Watchdogs just misses the mark. With an
approach to
hacking involving nothing more than pressing square, there's very
little here
in the way of interaction of innovation. Appearing more as a re-skinned
Assassins Creed than an original entry, the mechanics and play were
just
unexciting. The crowds and I quickly moved along.

Best
of Indie – Xenolith

Similar
in graphical style to Comet Crash by
Pelfast on PS3, Xenolith sees you pilot a shape-modifying ship. With 3
shapes
available to transform into (triangle, square and hexagon) the object
of the
game mode I played was to match your ship shape to the incoming enemies
and
projectiles. Match incorrectly and your shield takes damage before you
eventually die. Match correctly and you'll score combo points.
Addictive and
wonderfully presented, Xenolith kept me going back for more.

Best
MMOG – WildStar

Although
traditional in its structure, WildStar is
a charming and polished entry into the genre. With fantastic animations
and
charming race designs, I really hope it does well. The humour is
genuinely
funny and the game world expansive and deserving to be explored. I do
have some
concerns about its quest structure, but I'd be willing to forgive it
for that
when everything else seems so good. With raid content (so desperately
lacking
in the genre) it has a strong framework for those seeking something
more
hardcore.

Most
Pointless Demonstration – Driveclub

With
only pre-alpha code available, it looked
rough and was not worth public consumption. In light of recent footage
they
clearly have a newer build. This is no stab at Evolution but it really
wasn't
going to sell itself against the likes of Need for Speed Rivals and
Forza 5 (we
suspect Sony pushed this onto the show floor). On that premise, why
bring it to
the show floor?

Best
Local Coop – Android Assault Cactus

A
twin-stick shooter with 4 female assault
androids in morphing arenas with waves of enemies, it’s all
about blowing
things up and chaining combos. The game is full of personality and has
some
seriously solid animations and sounds. An Alpha demo is available on
Steam right
now and is well worth a look for anyone who likes score based
bullet-hell.

Most
Awkward Booth Placement – Battlefield 4

With
crowds being forced to scream for T-Shirts or
being stood centimetres away from a 42” TV to play the game
(to say it made
your eyes blur was an understatement), Battlefield 4 felt generic and
predictable. Graphically unimpressive (we weren't allowed to take
footage of
screenshots) and unfortunately for them, being sat next to the debut
product of
Respawn Entertainment was never going to end well. Titanfall was a
triumph of
game ideas over marketing, new tech and IP familiarity. With queues
triple that
of Battlefield 4, it's clear where player interests lie.

Biggest
Disappointment – The Elder Scrolls Online

In
need of significant polish and improvements in
almost all areas, The Elder Scrolls Online was a product I was giddy to
play
but one that left me bitterly disappointed. With ropey combat and a
strange mix
of MMOG gameplay coupled to Skyrim, it's hard to know where exactly
this
product sits. Although the quest system plays well, it isn't enough to
hold it
together at this time. Here's hoping the build on display at Eurogamer
is way
behind the internal version.